Chargers to interview Harbaugh, per report
The Chargers are expected to interview University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh in the coming days, according to a report on NFL.com on Saturday that cited unnamed sources.
Harbaugh led the Wolverines to the national championship Monday.
The Chargers are believed to have a strong interest in hiring Harbaugh, a former quarterback for the team from 1999-2000 when it was located in San Diego. Although he has dodged questions about a return to the NFL, reports indicate that he has an interest in the Chargers.
The Las Vegas Raiders are another team that is said to have an interest in Harbaugh. Antonio Pierce served as an interim coach for the Raiders.
Harbaugh, 60, is under contract at Michigan through the 2026 season and it's been reported that the school has offered him a mammoth 10-year, $125 million extension that he has so far not accepted.
The Wolverines finished a 15-0 season, amid suspensions and a sign-stealing scandal that plagued the program, with a 3413 victory over Washington in the College Football Playoff title game in Houston.
In all, Harbaugh missed six games due to suspensions. He sat out the first three games of the season after Michigan issued a self-imposed suspension in regard to recruiting infractions. The Big Ten later suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season — for crucial conference games against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State — for violating the conference's sportsmanship policy by “conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
Before being hired at Michigan, where he has compiled an 86-25 record, Harbaugh spent four seasons as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. His teams appeared in three consecutive NFC Championship Games, advancing to one Super Bowl in a loss to his brother John's Baltimore Ravens in 2013, before going 8-8 in his last season and mutually parting ways with the 49ers in late 2014.
The Chargers are seeking a replacement for Brandon Staley, who was fired along with general manager Tom Telesco on Dec. 15. Giff Smith served as the interim coach for the final three games for the Chargers, who finished 5-12.
In addition, the Chargers announced they interviewed 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks for the coaching position.
They previously said they had interviewed Smith, a longtime coach of their defensive linemen and their outside linebackers, and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as possible replacements for Staley, who was 24-24 in two-plus seasons.